Utility supporting attachment for dental chairs



April 14, 1964 c. c. EMMERSON I 3,129,033

UTILITY SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR DENTAL CHAIRS Filed Oct. 3. 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 1 IIIIIIIIIIII IIIQ 67771 2072 C'Z' mpr'san ATTORNEY A ril14, 1964 c. EMMERSON 3,129,033

UTILITY SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR DENTAL CHAIRS Filed Oct. 3. 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR (J'Zz'nfon Cf Emmersan q. 1? f d7- 7 BY-.( 1

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,129,033 UTILITY SUPPORTING ATTACHMENTFOR DENTAL CHAIRS Clinton C. Emmerson, Rte. 3, Box 196B, Hemet, Calif.Filed Oct. 3, 1960, Ser. No. 59,895 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-194) Thisinvention has as its primary object the provision of an attachment fordental chairs for supporting the utilities used by patients occupyingthe chair during dental treatment which utilities ordinarily comprise acuspidor or spittoon, an aspirator and a controllable nozzle forflushing the oral cavity with liquid or air or both.

A particular purpose of the invention is to enable movement of thestated utilities when needed to a convenient position relative to themouth of a patient while in a semirecumbent position in the dental chairthereby obviating the necessity of bodily movement of the patient fromsuch position toward the location of the utility as now commonlyrequired, thereby effecting considerable economy in the operators andattendants time as well as rendering the use of the utilities moreconvenient to the patient and attendants.

Another object is to provide an arrangement of the utilities and asupport therefor whereby the utilities may be readily mounted on the armof a dental chair and thereby disposed within easy reach of the patientor attendant, and wherein the utility may be lifted from its support andbrought to the mouth of the patient.

Another object is to provide a construction in the attachment wherebypower operated suction or vacuum pumps employed in conjunction withcertain of the utilities are automatically controlled by movement ofsuch utilities to and from their supports and whereby lifting of theutility from its support will set the pumping mechanism in operation andreplacement of the utility on its support will terminate such operationthereby effecting an economy in power consumption.

A further object is to provide an attachment of the above characterwhich is simple in construction and which is adapted to be readilyapplied to a dental chair.

With the foregoing objects in view together with such other objects andadvantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in theparts and in the combination, construction and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed, and as illustrated by way of examplein the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the attachment showing it as applied tothe arm of a dental chair;

FIG. 2 is a view in cross section as seen on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in longitudinal section partly in elevation as seen onthe line 3-3 of FIG. 1 with parts removed;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the attachment as seen from the top,front and one end thereof showing it detached;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the attachment showing it as inverted;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view section and elevation as seen on the line 6-6of FIG. 2 showing a utility supporting switch embodied in the attachmentand depicting the operation thereof; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the electrically powered suction apparatus withwhich the attachment is associated.

Referring to the drawings more specifically A indicates generally adental chair having an arm B, and C designates the utilities supportingattachment for the arm B.

The attachment C embodies a rectangular fiat panel 7 having an innerlongitudinal edge shaped to abut the outer side of the arm B. The panel7 is fitted on its inner margin with a pair of brackets 88 which areattached by screws 8' to the underside of the arm B and which brackets83 rigidly support the panel 7 in a horizontally extending positionprojecting outwardly from the outer side of the arm B. A continuousdownwardly extending marginal flange 9 is provided on the outer marginand ends of the panel 7 to impart rigidity thereto and also afford anenclosure for the space on the underside of the panel.

A plurality of circular openings 14), 11 and 12 are provided in thepanel 7 spaced apart in a row of which the openings 10-11 are designedto removably receive the lower ends of elongated cylindrical tubularsockets 1313 constituting utility holders. Each of the sockets 13-13embodies an upright rigid open ended tube 15 formed of metal or plasticand having a flanged and rounded upper margin 16 and having its lowerend encompassed by and engaged in the upper end of a flexible conduit 17leading downwardly from the panel 7 and connecting with the intake 18 ofa suitable powered suction pump P operated by an electric motor M asindicated in FIG. 7.

A shoulder 19 at the lower end of the socket normally seats on a yoke 26on one end of a switch control arm 21 mounted intermediate its ends toswing vertically on a pivot 22 carried on a bracket 23 depending fromand fixed on the underside of the panel 7. The other end of the arm 21has an insulated head 24 thereon which abuts against the underside of anelectrically conductive spring arm a of an electric switch 25 which arma has a contact point b on its underside normally contacting a point 0on a companion switch arm d. The switch arms a-d are insulated from eachother and from a post 26 fixed on the underside of the panel 7, and areconnected respectively to conductors e-f leading through the terminalsof the motor M to a source of electrical supply G as indicated in FIG.7.

The switch 25 while normally closed is held in its open position by theload imposed on the outer end of the switch control arm 21 by the socket13 and its connections, but on relieving such load by lifting the socketclear of the switch control arm the latter will be swung by pressure ofthe switch arm a on the head 24 so as to bring the contact points b and0 into their abutting circuit closing position.

As here shown the socket 13 in the opening 10 is fitted with a removablefunnel 27 constituting a spittoon and the socket 13 in the opening 11 isfitted with a removable and open ended tube 28 constituting an aspiratorwhich is reversible end to end in the socket in a usual manner.

The opening 12 has a multi-duct flexible conduit 29 leading therethroughwhich leads from separate suitable sources of water and air supply underpressure in a usual manner (not shown), and connects at its upper endthrough a socket 14 with a conventional discharge nozzle 30 having asingle outlet 31 controlled by valve actuating push buttons glz and iwhich operate in a well known manner to deliver to and discharge throughthe outlet 31 either water, air or a spray mixture of water and air. Inthis instance a shoulder or collar 32 is provided at the 3 upper end ofthe conduit 29 for effecting seating engagement on the plate 7 aroundthe opening 12.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the utilities comprising thefunnel or spittoon 27, aspirator 28 and nozzle 30 with their respectivehose connections are supported with the sockets at upper end portions ofsuch connections projecting above the upper surface of the panel 7 insuch manner that the sockets will provide hand-holds by which they maybe readily grasped by a hand of a patient in the chair A or by a nearbyattendant and lifted out of the openings 10 and 11 clear of yokes on theswitch control arms 21 to free the latter.

In the operation of the invention, either of the recited utilities isput to its intended use as required by lifting its supporting socketclear of the panel 7 carrying with it the associated conduit connectedto the socket, the utility being thus conveyed to the mouth of thepatient and employed for its usual purpose. On lifting either of thesockets 13 from its associated opening 10 or 11, the switch controlledthereby will automatically close thereby closing the circuit through themotor M thus actuating the latter and driving the suction pump P so asto evacuate air from the tube 17 and induct air thereinto through thefunnel 27 or aspirator 28 as the case may be. On restoring the socket 13to its seated position on the yoke 20 of arm 21 the latter will berocked to effect opening of the switch 25 thereby terminating operationof the motor M and pump P.

When it is desired to use the nozzle it is lifted and applied to themouth of the patient and actuated all in the manner common to suchutilities.

The attachment herein set forth is particularly advantageous for use ondental chairs employed in the treatment of children and persons who mustnecessarily lean over the arm of the chair in order to expectorate intothe fixed receptacle ordinarily employed in dental oifices whichoperation is both inconvenient and time consuming. Furthermore theattachment economizes space as compared with the usual fixed cuspidorequipment and facilitates access to the patient by the dentist andassistants.

By the employment of the demountable funnel 27 and aspirator 28 theseutensils may be detached and sterilized after serving each patient thuscontributing to sanitation.

I claim:

1. The combination of a dental chair having a seat portion supporting apatient in a semi-recumbent position, said chair having an arm at oneside of the seat portion, said arm having an upper surface, and anequipment stand secured to the arm of said dental chair at one side ofsaid seat portion and immediately adjacent said arm, said equipmentstand having a top portion extending in a horizontal plane above that ofthe seat portion and substantially coincident with the upper surface ofthe arm, plural dental utilities of elongated form extending through andprojecting above said top portion and being removably supported thereby,each of said dental utilities having a flexible operating connectionjoined therewith, and extending pendant from said top portion, whereby apatient supported by said seat may utilize said facilities by liftingthem from said top portion without required bodily move ment from saidsemi-recumbent position.

2. The combination of a dental chair having a seat portion supporting apatient in a semi-recumbent position, said chair having an arm at oneside of the seat portion, said arm having an upper surface, and anequipment stand secured to the arm of said dental chair at one side ofsaid seat portion and immediately adjacent said arm, said equipmentstand having a top portion extending in a horizontal plane above that ofthe seat portion and substantially coincident with the upper surface ofthe arm, plural dental utilities of elongated form extending through andprojecting above said top portion and being removably supported thereby,whereby a patient supported by said seat may utilize said facilities bylifting them from said top portion without required bodily movement fromsaid semi-recumbent position and a spring closed power-actuating switchin said equipment stand adjacent certain of said facilities held open bythe presence of an associated facility on said top portion and beingclosed when said associated facility is lifted therefrom.

3. The combination of a dental chair and an equipment stand, the dentalchair having a seat and at least one elongated arm having an uppersurface, said arm extending laterally adjacent said seat and lying in ahorizontal plane higher than that of said seat, said equipment standhaving a plane top portion secured to said chair arm and lyingsubstantially in the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of saidarm, and plural dental operating instruments extending through andsupported by the top portion of the instrument stand with an upperportion of each of said operating instruments extending above the planeof said top portion of the instrument stand within easy reach of apatient seated in said dental chair, each of said dental utilitieshaving a flexible operating connection joined therewith, and extendingpendant from said top portion.

4. The combination of a dental chair and an equipment stand, the dentalchair having a seat and at least one elongated arm having an uppersurface, said arm extending laterally adjacent said seat and lying in ahorizontal plane higher than said seat, said equipment stand having aplane top portion secured to said chair arm and lying substantially inthe same horizontal plane as the upper surface of said arm, pluraldental operating instruments extending through and supported by the topportion of the instrument stand with an upper portion extending abovethe plane of said top portion of the instrument stand within easy reachof a patient seated in said dental chair, and a spring closedpower-actuating switch in said equipment stand adjacent certain of saidfacilities held open by the presence of an associated facility on saidtop portion and being closed when said associated facility is liftedtherefrom.

5. An equipment stand for dental tools and facilities adapted formounting upon the arm of a dental chair, said arm having an outersurface, an upper surface and a lower surface, said equipment and standcomprising a frame member having a top member having one edge conformingto the outer surface of said arm and constituting an upper horizontalwork surface panel, detachable means for securing said frame member tothe under surface of said arm with the upper work surface panelprojecting outwardly from said arm and lying in the same general planeas that of the upper surface of said arm, plural separated holderscarried by said top member, and dental tools and facilities eachselectively and removably supported by an individual holder, a pump anda motor operatively joined to said pump, an elongated flexible conduitjoining certain of said dental tools and facilities individually withsaid pump, a control circuit for said motor, make-and-break elementseach having a control element actuated when a selected dental tool orfacility is lifted with its holder, and being inactivated when it isreturned with its holder.

6. An equipment stand for dental tools and facilities adapted formounting upon the arm of a dental chair, said arm having an outersurface, an upper surface and a lower surface, said equipment standcomprising a frame member having a top member, having one edgeconforming to the outer surface of said arm and constituting an upperhorizontal work surface panel, detachable means for securing said framemember to the under surface of said arm with the upper work surfacepanel projecting outwardly from said arm and lying in the same generalplane as that of the upper surface of said arm, plural separated holderscarried by said top member, dental tools and facilities each selectivelyand removably supported by an individual holder, a pump and a motoroperatively joined to said pump, an elongated flexible conduit joiningcertain of said dental tools and facilities individually with said pump,control circuits for said motor and make-and-break elements each havinga control element actuated when a selected dental 5 tool or facility islifted with its holder, and being inactivated when it is returned withits holder, and said control element including an arm pivoted forvertical movement with respect to said panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS153,943 Gray Aug. 11, 1874 483,900 Case Oct. 4, 1892 533,445 DenisonFeb. 5, 1895 8 Owen Apr. 15, 1924 Augustine Aug. 18, 1925 Albers Apr. 3,1928 Best Feb. 8, 1938 Hickey June 21, 1949 Skeoch Apr. 1, 1958 FOREIGNPATENTS Germany June 1, 1892 Great Britain Sept. 21, 1927

1. THE COMBINATION OF A DENTAL CHAIR HAVING A SEAT PORTION SUPPORTING APATIENT IN A SEMI-RECUMBENT POSITION, SAID CHAIR HAVING AN ARM AT ONESIDE OF SEAT PORTION, SAID ARM HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE, AND AN EQUIPMENTSTAND SECURED TO THE ARM OF SAID DENTAL CHAIR AT ONE SIDE OF SAID SEATPORTION AND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID ARM, SAID EQUIPMENT STAND HAVING ATOP PORTION EXTENDING IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE ABOVE THAT OF THE SEATPORTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY COINCIDENT WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE ARM,PLURAL